Summary: Not much has changed after 30 years in business at Robata Grill & Sushi. The smoky and sweet flavors of robata and sushi are at the heart of the Japanese menu with familiar teriyaki and a few cross-over flavors and dishes to round out the menu.

Summary: In the space that briefly housed La Plancha, Ken and Christina Flach opened their second Porkhouse. The Corte Madera location serves a similar menu to its San Rafael parent — Southern barbecue and all the fixin's — with the same casual, big-hearted energy.

Buckeye Roadhouse

Address: 15 Shoreline Highway, across from the southbound Manzanita exit off Highway 101

Summary: The roaring fire and warm wood-paneled rooms at the Buckeye Roadhouse recall an earlier era of Marin history, but the subtly updated fare and timeless favorites by chef Robert Price straddle the line between contemporary and classic. Don't miss the chicken wings.

Summary: Named after a grand Mayan ruin, El Tazumal is a symbol of El Salvador and serves the filling, casual cuisine of that country and its Central American neighbors. Corn-based pupusas and tamales, the region's soul food, are stand-outs.

Summary: Celebrating 10 years in business, R'noh Thai serves traditional Thai food adapted to California diners. The flavors of Thai cuisine are all here, often subtly blended. A fresh take on the familiar lettuce cup salad is a standout.

Summary: Mill Valley's El Paseo welcomed new executive chef Mike Ward to lead the culinary team. A high level of collaboration with chef-owner Tyler Florence ensures the American steakhouse menu balances Ward's artistic platings and refined approach with the underpinnings of the heritage cooking for which Florence is well known.

Summary: After ownership and management changes, downtown San Rafael's Vin Antico is no longer an urban trattoria. New executive chef Megan Smith brings a less is more approach to the new, Mediterranean-inflected California cuisine menu. Fresh pasta and risotto are still on offer, but dishes such as rabbit rillettes and pork loin chop with apricot brandy jus express a broader culinary style.

Summary: Celebrating 15 years in business, Taco Jane's has evolved from a cantina to a neighborhood restaurant. Owner Matteo Boussina's interest in the flavors of southern Mexico and New Mexico mean dishes such as Green Mountain chicken enchiladas and chicken mole tostadas round out a menu of more familiar fajitas and quesadillas

Summary: With a recently remodeled iinterior and revamped menu, Wildfox switched from serving farmhouse local to American fare anchored by a mesquite grill and wood-fired oven. Appetizers and side dishes such as red curry mussels fare better than entrees. Stick with the burger.

Summary: Known for its award-winning original blue and other cheeses, Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company launched a culinary center offering farm tours, classes and monthly dinners. With a focus on products from family farms within 20 miles of the creamery, the dinners, which often sell-out months in advance, are farmhouse festive four-course meals served family-style and always feature the creamery's cheeses.

Summary: At Sausalito's Barrel House Tavern, the interior design draws as much attention as the amazing bay views. Chef Matthew Bousquet's creative, seafood-focused, Cal-Med menu takes some risks such as a plate of lime-infused bone marrow and escargot or a campy take on country-fried trout.

Summary: Kendra Kolling's award-winning grilled cheese, egg and sausage sandwiches are the focus at her soup, sandwich and salad stand, the Farmer's Wife, at the Civic Center and Marin Country Mart Farmer's Markets. What makes her stand out is her use of ingredients almost exclusively coming from her farm and neighboring stands and farms.

Summary: Nathan and Devon Yanko, a baker and a holistic chef respectively as well as husband and wife, and chef Arielle Segal have crafted a bakery and cafe that blends a modern approach to cuisine with baking traditions that hearken back to an era when eating bread meant a meal of hearty, soulful sustenance. Yanko's country bread accompanies most dishes such as the refreshingly light chicken terrine and spiky-sweet pork loin sandwich.

Summary: JJ's Burger Joint is Marin's latest addition to the crowded burger scene. Well-priced grass-fed burgers and fries in familiar guises with some modern adaptations are the star attractions in this brightly lit, family-run joint.

Summary: Chef-owner Jeff Cerciello repeats the success of his Santa Monica restaurant Farmshop here at Larkspur's Marin Country Mart. As with the ambiance, the elegant but casual food showcases California's artisan purveyors. This is the new look of fine dining in Marin.

The Marshall Store

Address: 19225 Highway 1, about one mile south of the Marshall-Petaluma Road intersection, Marshall

Summary: After 136 years, the Marshall Store has been many things over the years. Since 2006, the Marshall Store is a casual restaurant and oyster bar with a menu of mostly local and wild seafood and oysters and local meats, served in a casual setting with view of Tomales Bay. Owner-chef Shannon Gregory's creative rubs and braises make stand-outs of pulled pork and smoked salmon.

Summary: Classic dishes from the Filipino and Mexican culinary canon find their way onto one welcoming table at the family-style Pa's. Lumpia and ceviche are as at home here as pork adobo and carne asada. Made-to-order tortillas are an ideal platform for freestyling new taco flavors.

Summary: Owner-manager-chefs Margaret Gradé and Daniel DeLong of Mankas Lodge have opened the aptly named Sir and Star at the Olema. Reverence for the agricultural bounty of Marin means just about everything here, from nearly every ingredient on the New American menu to the details of design.

Summary: Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Poggio remains a reliable destination for Italian cuisine, dressed up just a bit, trattoria-style. Chef Ben Balesteri returned to take the reins, and adds renewed vigor to the fresh flavors and fresh pasta with locally sourced seafood and greens from the restaurant's garden.

Summary: Auryn serves original Thai with the personal perspective of its chef, Suvimon Treesuwan, comfortably mixes familiar and traditional Thai dishes and flavors with dishes of her own creation. The family-run restaurant sets a new standard for pad Thai but watch out for the chilies, which are not always indicated on the menu.

price ratings

Based on cost of entrees:$10 and less, $$10 to $18, $$$19 to $25, $$$More than $25, $$$$